Peaceful New Year

Winter Wind

Today had gusty cold winds which sent the fallen leaves dancing in twirls and wiggles, whole fields with leaves bouncing.  Even the crows were bouncing in the wind and the pony was prancing and the treetops were swaying.  Suddenly a colorful bird hit the windowpane hard, fell and stayed still on the ground for the longest time. Eventually a dog ran by and the bird flew off for a nearby tree.  My heart was so glad.

Peace on Earth

Merry Christmas

2014

Santa just sent me a cashmere scarf just in time for winter.  This is also the time of the year that I can say PEACE PEACE PEACE to everyone everywhere.  We are all in this together and bound with love.  Enjoy 2015.  Keep it true to yourself and lighten up.

Layers and Contrast

Under the coat is a vest which is over a sweater which is over a long sleeved shirt.  When you go into a store, off comes the coat and then the vest.  Maybe even the sweater.

When you go back outside again a blast of the most refreshing cold air hits you.  Ah-h-h-h  breathing deeply of the freshness and piling back on the layers.  How nice.

Autumn Brights

First came the breathtaking redness of certain trees as the season first turned, then came the oranges of fun and warmth, then as the weather turned horrid and dismal did the wind blow the yellow leaves thoroughly about making for a carpet of yellow sunshine to uplift and give cheer.

The Grass is Always Greener on the other Side of the Fence

The neighbor's neighbor's horses broke the gate that separated the two horse pastures from one another and all the horses have been galloping back and forth with much high-spiritedness all day. Yes, the grass is always greener.

Rural Protection

This story is sad and hopefully funny (ironic?) too.  It turned out that the animal eating the chickens was a neighbor’s pit bull and my cat did succumb to its wrath as well.  I am terribly devastated by the violent loss of my beloved long-time furry friend of sixteen years.

Part of the story is that I defended the cat and received deep scratches and bites myself.  This was very disturbing to family members who recommended that I carry pepper spray with me at all times.  Particularly concerned was one relative that had been a night-club singer in East LA for many years.  She had a magic pouch which carried a four-inch knife, pepper spray, and a blow horn.  Every time she put it over her shoulder she said a prayer asking God for protection and over the many years of coming home in the early hours, she remained safe and never had to use any of its contents.

Now I am in possession of her magic pouch.  There is a lot I need to be aware of here.  Dawn and dusk are hunting times for wild animals and this area is a designated “rabies” area.  The distance of the street to the front door is about 100 feet away and the mailboxes are at the end of the road, past pig pens and ducks and chickens, all tasty treats to wild animals.

I woke the other morning to gun shots and yesterday I saw a small herd of deer in the neighbor’s yard when I went to get my trash receptacle to put it back in its proper place next to the side of the house.

I’ve been told by a neighbor that everyone has weed, drinks and carries guns.

Who would have ever thought that moving to a rural area would be comparable to living in East LA!

Took this picture today with my boot showing to give you an idea of the size of the mushrooms growing under the walnut tree.

Fall Hello

Better white chicken feathers than white cat fur.  Coyote watch begins.

There's snow in them thar' hills.  This view is from my back yard. I've bought lots of warm clothes from the local thrift store.

Cock a Doodle Doo!

Cock a doodle doo!

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Rooster Crowing

Rooster in leaf compost

Frosty Foggy Morning

Where the Oaks Meet the Pines

Where the Oaks Meet the Pines

Oak trees shoot pointed acorns speedily to the ground
Ping ping ping
Squirrels and Blue Jays gather and bury them
Each spying on the other.

Farmer in the Dell lives next door:
Horse named Sierra, Pony named Cupcake
Hog and pigs, Roosters and chickens,
Dogs and cats & children.

The dogs and chickens chase each other
Back and forth.

Canadian Geese honk constantly as they fly in small bands
like Pelicans along the shoreline, as they skim the treetops.
Honk honk honk

The trees drop lichen and branches with moss.
Broken oak leaves are everywhere
Especially on the bottom of my shoe soles
Which I track into the house.

The roadkill is larger and somewhat sadder;
contorted deer still lithe in form.
The roads are windy
Barns are all about
The forest thickens as you travel up.

I used to sprinkle felt and tinsel leaves
for Fall ambiance
Now it's the real deal.
Season's will turn and it will
All be so awesome!

First day with long sleeves
First night with closed windows
Heavy bedspread on the bed.

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Monarch Caterpillar

The flower petals of my lonely Milkweed plant slowly disappeared (much to my consternation as I had wanted the plant to go to seed).  Now this, a caterpillar that has eaten all the leaves.  It must be a Monarch caterpillar.  What will it do now?

Underneath the Eucalyptus Tree

36" x 24" Acrylic on canvas

This is a painting of a tree that grew beside my entryway until it lost a limb which hit the roof.  Sadly, it was cut to the ground.  The tree had stood at least 75 feet tall and housed a screech owl and many hummingbirds.   I promised my tree that I would dedicate an art project to it and here it is.  Also, it's babies appeared later in many of my potted plants.

Monarch Butterflys and MilkWeed

Have you heard that pesticides have been killing the milkweed plants that Monarch butterflies feed on?

I  bought a plant at our nearby Farmer's Market.  It grew strong and sent up a bright fireworks-like explosion of tiny flowers in red and yellow.  I thought "how is a Monarch butterfly ever going to find my one lonely milkweed plant?"

Then I had a visitor that stuck around long enough for me to get my camera out.  It was so thankful that it almost knocked me over with gratitude.

I'm hoping this will be encouragement for others to plant milkweed. Until regulators can get the damaging poison of the market shelves, the Monarchs will appreciate our help.

Also, the milkweed plant will go to seed and many other plants will grow the following year.

Early Burn

This work week has been set in high drama with temperatures set high and humidity levels in single digits with desert winds blowing toward the coast.  When the Santa Ana conditions are just right the wind reverses and comes from the eastern desert.  The hot air (100 degrees) moves toward the west, up over the mountains and when it reaches the peaks and falls over, it has such a force that carries it the rest of the way. 

Whooshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

My garden in on a hill about half way between the ocean and the mountains.  It sits near the top of the hill.  Below us are avocado and citrus trees.  The orchard is a neglected mess.  The avocados love it that way.  Really, only the citrus that has fallen should be picked up.  It’s all mellow.  But it started Monday with that blast of wind that must have lasted for a long time.  I heard things knocking against the house and went to look out the window.  There was a river of leaves blowing up the hill.  The leaves rolled and rolled and rolled up the hill.  It was such an odd thing to observe . . . a rolling river of leaves being blown uphill for about five minutes.

The hot blast made such an unsightly mess so the next day (Tuesday) I was determined to clean up the patio in spite of the fact that several days of the same weather had been predicted.  Those leaves were tucked into every little space under and beside every pot and planter.  Permaculture at it’s best, I’d say, but I’m not ready to be composted just yet.

I swept the whole patio, fluffed all the rugs, watered everything, and set the broom to rest against the garden gate commanding the wind to knock it off. 

The Bernardo fire began that day.  It was about 35 miles away.  They seemed to get some containment  and I was hoping for the best, in general, since really, it’s May, not September.

The next day (Wednesday) was different.  The fires began popping up here and popping up there until I realized that I was quite surrounded.  I had to focus on what was going on.  A)  An arsonist waited for the perfect conditions.  B) The many steep canyons were dry and houses built along the ridges.  C) Since I’m not on a ridge, my only problem would be a flying ember so I registered my cell phone with reverse 911 and decided to enjoy the heat.  I took a few pictures and kept up to date with neighbors on Facebook.

But I did review my stuff and prepared an evacuation plan.  I surprised myself by being determined to keep my box of recipes safe even though I usually use the internet these days.

The next day , Thursday now, some of the nine fires grew and traveled all around canyons and houses and some caught on fire but most didn’t.  The firefighters are saving the structures and keeping the fires to the canyons.  The winds are changing directions this way then that and it’s hard to outwit it.  Flame and smoke tornadoes are dancing and photographers are getting in the way of firemen. 

At least three, maybe four fires are nearby my garden.  There is a riverbed full of invasive reeds that is on fire.  They are using bull dozers to stop it’s progress.  There is a fire on the nearby military base (not unusual as they often shoot ordinance there).  And there is a fire on the land just east of the base.  You need to use ID to drive through the area which is about five miles long.  It was used to store munitions between wars.  There are all these round hills that are hollow for storage, no buildings, just mounds covered in grass.   I expect that they are pretty empty now.  Anyway, that’s where another fire is, maybe 15 miles away.

Friday, is the day to calm this riot act down.  All the firemen, policemen, emergency helpers and citizens are doing a fantastic job responding to the small pockets of fire as well as the larger ones.  They are flexible and move people around.  There are firemen from many other cities and our hotshots are inmates who will get a reduced sentence.  Some are working 48 hour shifts. 

It feels loving, the friends and family who inquire after you when they hear the news.  Let's help each other recover and prepare.

The weather is turning much cooler tomorrow.  The fire on Camp Pendleton is in some serious mountains.  I feel for the wildlife. 

And the season is just beginning.  I think I’ll buy a van to fit my special stuff into.